Emirates Airline confirmed on 6 November 2025 that it will resume daily passenger and cargo services between Lagos and Dubai from 1 October 2025, ending a suspension that has lasted almost two years. The carrier halted the route in 2023 after being unable to repatriate more than US $85 million in ticket revenues that were trapped in Nigeria because of a foreign-exchange shortage. The dispute also triggered a wider diplomatic stand-off in which the UAE stopped issuing visas to Nigerian nationals.
According to the airline’s statement, renewed cooperation between the governments in Abu Dhabi and Abuja has produced a repayment schedule for the blocked funds and a framework to prevent future backlogs. The accord follows a high-level meeting in September 2024 between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Officials involved in the talks said both sides see aviation links as critical for bilateral trade—estimated at US $2.1 billion in 2024—and for wider connectivity across West Africa.
![Emirates to Restart Lagos–Dubai Route After Two-Year Hiatus]()
The restored daily EK783/784 service will reconnect Nigeria’s commercial capital to more than 140 destinations via Emirates’ Dubai hub. Aviation analysts expect strong demand from Nigerian business travellers, medical tourists and the country’s 200,000-strong diaspora community in the Gulf. Cargo holds on the Boeing 777-300ER will also reopen a key export lane for perishables and e-commerce goods into the Middle East and Asia.
For UAE-based multinationals, the reinstated route simplifies mobility planning: assignees can once again rely on a direct six-hour flight rather than time-consuming one-stop itineraries through Addis Ababa, Doha or Istanbul. Employers should, however, brief staff on Nigeria’s recent foreign-exchange reforms and ensure bookings are made in hard currency to avoid fare fluctuations. Travel-management companies also advise monitoring any residual visa-processing bottlenecks during the first few months of operations.
Looking ahead, Emirates said it will “continue to work closely with Nigerian regulators to sustain a stable operating environment.” Industry observers add that the episode underscores how currency-convertibility risk can ground even the largest global carriers—and why corporate mobility managers should build contingency plans for key emerging markets.
According to the airline’s statement, renewed cooperation between the governments in Abu Dhabi and Abuja has produced a repayment schedule for the blocked funds and a framework to prevent future backlogs. The accord follows a high-level meeting in September 2024 between UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Officials involved in the talks said both sides see aviation links as critical for bilateral trade—estimated at US $2.1 billion in 2024—and for wider connectivity across West Africa.
The restored daily EK783/784 service will reconnect Nigeria’s commercial capital to more than 140 destinations via Emirates’ Dubai hub. Aviation analysts expect strong demand from Nigerian business travellers, medical tourists and the country’s 200,000-strong diaspora community in the Gulf. Cargo holds on the Boeing 777-300ER will also reopen a key export lane for perishables and e-commerce goods into the Middle East and Asia.
For UAE-based multinationals, the reinstated route simplifies mobility planning: assignees can once again rely on a direct six-hour flight rather than time-consuming one-stop itineraries through Addis Ababa, Doha or Istanbul. Employers should, however, brief staff on Nigeria’s recent foreign-exchange reforms and ensure bookings are made in hard currency to avoid fare fluctuations. Travel-management companies also advise monitoring any residual visa-processing bottlenecks during the first few months of operations.
Looking ahead, Emirates said it will “continue to work closely with Nigerian regulators to sustain a stable operating environment.” Industry observers add that the episode underscores how currency-convertibility risk can ground even the largest global carriers—and why corporate mobility managers should build contingency plans for key emerging markets.
